Sugar is definitely sneaky. I love the dole mandarin orange cups in 100% juice. 18g sugar in each. I don't know if that's natural sugar content or if there is sugar added to that natural juice but I could 3 or 4 of them on a good day. No Bueno.

I have the most coarse of natural hair as you can see. It takes a day and a half air dry completely. I work out strenuously often so I sweat. I just rinse my hair with water after every work out. It cleans the sweat of without stripping your natural oils. If your hair starts to smell or feels dirty do a co-wash, which is just massaging conditioner into your hair and rinsing no shampoo. It'll help you stretch out washing a few days and keep your hair from being dry. Having half permed half natural hair makes it difficult to maintain a daily style without alot of manipulation so braids/twists are your only option. I wear a 'fro so I'm always stylish :)
Oh and shea moisture is a great brand! They have a full line of skin/hair products all natural no mineral oil or sulfates and they smell amazing. They sell them in walgreens and you can get it online.

It may help to just join a group for now. It will give you the motivation you need and you won't have that feeling of "dropping out" when you need to take a break. You can also start your own challenge, I'm sure there are others out there who are trying to lose weight while dealing with limiting medical conditions. You may be able to start one that has a larger Window for completing goals so that you are able to reach them even despite a minor set back. In any instance,I want to commend you for working so hard despite your limitations and wanting to challenge yourself.

You need variety in your diet. You need it because it's healthy and because it's going to be hard to eat the same thing every day which means falling off the bandwagon is a very real possibility. If you're not much of a breakfast lunch dinner person try breaking up meals with snacking. So you're eating all day, keeping hunger at bay, and not weighed down with large meals. I'm no nutrition guru so I'm not going to tell you what to eat but you can't go wrong with whole fresh foods, you'll just have to learn what ratio is best for you and there are alot of resources here to find out the best plan for yourself.
You sound like you are overwhelmed and not very diet savvy so start small. When I started I only made substitutions one at time. Like this: I'm not going to eat fried food. Make yourself responsible for just that until you don't even crave it,and eventually you won't or at least not as strongly. Then: I will eat a serving of veggies every day and it will become second nature.
If you keep it up you will be on a healthy eating plan, you will enjoy it and you won't feel like the rug was ripped from underneath you. There are alot of people here who can help give you ideas on setting goals for yourself and staying on track.

Drinking water and filling up on good stuff sounds like a good plan. It might also help to make sure you have someone with you to help you decline bad food because sometimes you can feel cornered into indulging. I think moderation plays a huge part as well. Eat light before the event, fill up on fruits and veggies once you're there and indulge in one or two items. You won't be in calorie overload, you can enjoy an appetizer or two, and you won't be seen as the "dieter" not wanting to touch anything. Makes for a fun party!

Well done James! I'm with everyone else, if it ain't broke don't fix it. But I do understand sometimes you get in a rut doing the same thing over and over. Gradual changes help me with maintaining motivation, things like trying new fitness classes offered around town, or get online and find yourself a fun exercise video to mix it up. I also enjoy finding alternatives to making the foods I eat a bit more healthy because theres always something new at the grocery. I do want to stress doing this gradually so you can tell whether its a boost or a hindrance to your current program and you can reevaluate if necessary. Good luck to you!

And an extra 40 pounds :( unfortunately sickness compounded with guilt put me right back where I started. I missed eating healthy and exercising so thank goodness I'm not in a larger hole, I've done it once so I know I can do it again. I've started a fitness challenge at work so I stand to win $160 in the next two months if I get my butt in gear. So Hello again to all of my old friends and welcome to any new friends!

I'm sure most doctors probably don't want to mess with it since it does require a watchful eye over the patient. It also doesn't have the best reputation. Is there a particular reason why you're interested in it specifically?

A coworker of mine is taking phentermine (or some variation) she said the only side effects she gets are intense jitters if she does not eat and immense anxiety. The positives though, she is dropping weight at a steady rate, she said it curbs appetite, and she feels a boost of energy. She is however under close supervision of a doctor because it does/may affect your heart, if her blood pressure is too high he will not write another prescription. She is a 38yo white female with maybe 50-80lbs to lose, she is a very short lady so that's just me eyeballing it. I hope the info helps. In my opinion, don't do anything that can affect your health if you can help it. If you are at a weight high enough that it is seriously affecting your health, you have to weigh your options. I could risk losing weight slow and steady to get to a healthy weight or I could risk a "quick fix" (pills, surgery) I think its about being honest with yourself and consulting with a doctor or others who have done both to consider what is best for you.

Im 5'2 with 42in hips. Ive got small/medium breasts so my hips look huge! While I know I may lose an inch or two, my hips will always be wide but I love my hourglass figure and the fellas do too! Bodies are all different and being self conscious is a waste of time, there is someone who will love every inch of your body despite the "flaws" (I call em unique touches to the finished piece)

I posted a comment and it said it was pending review. I guess it never made it :-/ I have the second one. I like it but the belt goes crazy when you're dancing. No way to keep it in place. I'd try to move towards the kinect if an option.

Definitely shea or cocoa butter and compression garments. Stretch marks occur as a result of skin being too dry to stretch normally and you get the small tears. Ive had stretch marks since I was 11 and my hips got huge lol I have terribly dry skin though which is why I got them so easily. Drink lots of water, use lotions made for excessively dry skin and slather on cocoa/shea butter at night before bed. It can be too greasy to use daily. Hope it helps!

I've lost a bit over a sperm whales brain! Thats an eery coincidence as im deathly afraid of whales. I'm glad to have lost it!
Edit: I forgot about my recent weigh in, that'll be the average amount of pizzs an American eats in a year. I also don't like pizza. Hmmm

Im not sure what your school will allow but I have a desk job where I sit 12 hours a day. I now sit on a yoga/exercise ball all day. It improves your posture and works your abs. I can also do crunches while sitting on it periodically throughout the day or stand a few other exercises that are easy to do for a minute or two at a desk. If you're in school you can do leg lifts sitting at your desk and power walk to your classes, theres not a whole lot you can do in class that won't be deemed distracting.
Keep fruits and veggies handy. Fresh is best but I dont know how long you're in school and if keeping fresh food is an option. If not theres dried fruit, get the no sugar added stuff or fruit cups, all natural or in water also no sugar.

This is a massive hole in functionality. My need is to create custom recipes for very specific diet restrictions. This basically makes most of the publicly available recipes unavailable to me. I rely ...